A senior representative of an already established oversea company which does not have an existing UK presence can take advantage of SOLE REPRESENTATIVE VISA to set up a branch/ subsidiary of the parent company in the United Kingdom. This visa will only be available to and would only be required by the entrepreneurs from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. This sort of visa is designed to assist the established overseas companies and must not be misused for one's immigration convenience and personal gain. Thus, applications under this category must be able to prove that the expansion in the UK is sensible for the parent company. Companies willing to take advantage of this visa provision must understand that this sort of visa is to help them only for expansion of their business in the UK and not for completely moving their operations to the UK.
A company can send only one person to the United Kingdom as a sole representative, any additional staff member must apply under a relevant tier for a work visa. As with most UK visas, the family members of the sole representative including his/her spouse or a long term co-habiting partner or children under 18 years of age, are allowed to apply to accompany the representative. These dependants will also be granted visas for the same duration and the spouse/partner will be able to work for any UK employer without any restrictions.
The sole representative must have been employed by the company for a certain period of time and must be in a senior position. He must also have excellent knowledge of the objectives, plans and activities of the company and must have the authority to make independent operational decisions without consulting the parent company.
It is advisable to apply for a visa well in advance, like for up to 3 months before anyone plans to travel to the UK, one should get the decision on the application within a period of 3 weeks. On acceptance of the application a three-year visa, extendable by a further two years will be provided. A representative may stay in the UK if his company's circumstances change, for example if the company appoints a superior in the UK, and the former representative has been in the UK for more than two years. After being in the UK for five complete years one can apply for permission to settle permanently in the United Kingdom.
